0311 Wtf?
 

I am getting my ass kicked lately on my chest days, and I have been working diligently and trying to add more reps to my incline and dumbell presses without any success. I am fatiguing early and not getting a full work load done with chest. My chest is the one thing lacking on me, and I try to hit it with a variety of angles and exercises from ones listed here and in mags.

I was using the Smith Machine for decline and incline, but moved to the power rack in order to get more out of the stablelizer muscles and to be able to incorporate the dumbells more. I can lift heavy...but only for a few reps. I have lowered my weight, but don't seem to be getting anywhere near the same type of muscle fatigue I used to a couple months ago. Suggestions?

Usually I do this in different orders.
Incline- 4X10-12
Flat Dumbell- 65lb's 75lbs 85lb's and 90lb's
Cable crossovers
Decline Dumbell
Dips with body weight

I crap out on the bench and inclines way to early.

LOL, thanks for singling me out! Lots of people here that can help you better than I could.

That being said...

I take it you dedicate an entire day to blasting the chest from every angle? That's your problem right there. First of all, you're doing too much. For some people, volume works superb..But it doesn't sound like you're one of them. (don't worry, it's a small group) Neither muscle fatigue nor being sore is going to determine whether or not you're going to grow. Another point to make is that most "muscle mags" workouts comes from editors that are a buck-twenty soaking wet with a pair of 10" pythons for arms.

So, I ask you, what do you do when you want to get better at something??..The answer is to practice more at it, or in your case, increase the frequency while at the same time decreasing the overall volume.

Second, the amount of volume and the high number of reps is of course going to fatigue your triceps and anterior deltiods before your pecs. That's why I'm a proponent of at least splitting the workload between two days vs. trying to do it in a single session, once a week. Cable crossovers aren't an exercise you should be doing anyways, unless it's high reps with very slow tempo to increase time under tension..Like as in a superset with a compound.

Try dividing that total volume between two days instead of just one. By doing half of what you're used to, you'll be able to focus more intensity into those lifts. I'll tell you, when I first started, my program looked sorta similiar to what you're doing, and about halfway through, I was basically just going through the motions....Less is more.

How many days are you going to the gym? There's a lot of different splits out there that are better than "once every 7 days"..

Examples:

This is of an upper/lower split. You're basically taking whatever you do per muscle in a single day, and divide it between two workouts. I'll use chest as an example..

Monday: Upper body (chest: 3 x 5-10 flat barbell, 2 x 10 incline dumbbell)
Tuesday: Lower body
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Upper (this time do 3 x 5-10 incline barbell, 2 x 10-12 flat or decline dumbbell)
Friday: Lower
Weekend off

Here's another one that only has 2 days off per week vs. 3.

Monday: Chest/Back
Tuesday: Legs/Abs
Wednesday: Shoulders/Biceps/Triceps
Thursday: OFF
Friday: UPPER
Saturday: LOWER
Sunday: OFF

So, I'd recommend splitting up your current assault on your chest from one day to two days and go from there.

First off, what do you want to do with your chest, add mass, strength, both? Either way it almost looks like you're overtraining, but I can't tell because you give a rep range for one but not the others. If you want both mass and strength you need to be in the 6-4 rep range, but first what is your goal for chest and what are the other rep ranges.

damn right when I post you come out of nowhere. you win this time. :p

Thank you both for responding. I am working out in preparation for my first bodybuilding show in October. I am bringing what I know already, reading here, and emulating successful people at my gym all into the mix. I am going to try the above splits you recommend, and see how it goes. Trial and error for me really since I am not but a babe in the woods with this sport.